Video conferencing enables individuals to speak with one another remotely. Some video conferencing systems also facilitate the sharing of data such as documents or images.
One example of a video conferencing system is Skype™. Skype™ permits users to add contacts and manage contacts in an address book. Skype™ enables users to initiate a text chat, voice or video conference with one or more of their contacts by clicking on a set of simple buttons. While in a video conference, users' screens can be shared with one another.
Video conferencing systems are sometimes used as a replacement for meetings when it is inconvenient to arrange a place and time where all participants for a meeting can meet.
However, meetings held using a video conferencing system lose the behavioural cues of physical meetings and consequently meetings held using video conferencing systems can be less efficient and less effective than face-to-face meetings.
There is a desire for an improved system for video/audio conferencing which is capable of facilitating more efficient and more effective meetings.
Furthermore, it would also be useful if video/audio conferencing systems could be improved to provide advantages above and beyond traditional physical meetings.
There exist some systems which attempt to address, at least in part, this desire. One of these is GoToMeeting™. This system enables users to start an online meeting space and invite participants. It provides the ability to schedule meetings beforehand, which conventional video conferencing systems, such as Skype™ do not. It also enables users to grant keyboard and mouse functionality over their computer system to others in the conference.
Another such system is WebEx™ by Cisco™. WebEx™ provides a mechanism to enable users to construct a webinar. A webinar is an online space where a participant (the “presenter”) can speak and many participants can observe. Once a user is signed up, webinars can be scheduled much as meetings are in GoToMeeting™. Text, audio and video conferencing is provided within WebEx™. Some users repurpose WebEx™ to conduct meetings.
Some prior art conferencing systems provide audio suppression when a user is not overtly speaking to prevent background noise from interfering with the conference call/online meeting. However, a difficulty with existing conferencing systems is that none provide sufficient structured control over communications between participants within a video conference. Accordingly, video conferencing technologies lead to a cacophony of audio to and from participants that can preclude utilising standard video conferencing technology to run, for example, online meetings where multiple participants provide audio contributions in a structured format.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for controlling communications for video/audio conferencing which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least provides a useful alternative.